This invention relates in general to air freshening devices and, in particular, to a self-contained air freshener which draws ambient air through the apparatus, and about or through a deodorizing cartridge to vaporize materials contained in the cartridge for distribution into the air flow.
More specifically, but without restriction to the particular embodiment and/or use which is shown and described for purposes of illustration, this invention relates to self-contained air freshener utilizing a replaceable cartridge containing or formed from a vaporizable material, and a replaceable battery power source. These replaceable or expendable items are carried within the apparatus to permit the convenient and selective replacement of these items when necessary.
Various types of air freshening or deodorizing devices have been utilized for inducing air flow past a product which may be vaporized, either by evaporation or sublimation, in order to distribute the vaporized product throughout the surrounding environment. To this end, apparatus such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,990,848 and 4,035,451 have been developed to distribute the vaporized product into the environment.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,848, an apparatus is disclosed which utilizes a self-contained disposable cartridge comprising a quantity of vaporizable product contained within a porous container upon which a battery power source is mounted and attached. In this manner, the entire unitary cartridge, product and power source, may be readily replaced with a new cartridge providing both a fresh power supply and a fresh quantity of deodorizer.
In the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,035,451 a disposable cartridge, including both a quantity of material capable of being vaporized and a battery power source, is provided with the battery forming an integral part of the support structure for the cartridge. A strip material is folded in a convoluted configuration and concentrically spaced about the battery to define a series of parallel air passageways by which a product impregnated in the strip material is vaporized and distributed into the environment.
While each of these above-identified apparatus functions to distribute the vaporized product into the air, it has been found that the useful life of the vaporizable material and the useful life of the battery power source, are not necessarily the same. Therefore, when both the vaporizable material and the power source are integrated into the same unitary disposable and replaceable cartridge, the useful life of both is determined by the shortest useful life of either. This causes the operational life of cartridge, as a whole, to be shorter than necessary.
In addition these devices, as well as other such devices, are not conveniently serviceable after installation. Preferably such air fresheners are installed in isolated locations where a suitable air flow may be established, with the unit being installed above the un-aided reach of a person to prevent vandalism. Such installations, however, have heretofore necessitated that the units be serviced while the service personnel are standing on a ladder or platform reaching into and working on the unit. Frequently such servicing is done by the service personnel working on the unit, above eye level, requiring servicing to be effected by feel.
The present invention is constructed such that all of the serviceable components of the unit are detachably mounted in a portion of the housing which is separable from the unit. In this manner, after the unit is installed the service personnel can easily remove this portion of the unit in order to effect any required servicing without having to do the servicing while standing on a ladder or by feel.